GUEST COLUMN: Tuscaloosa Forward plan needs care, clarity, completion

By Anne Gibbons

Published: Sunday, December 15, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, December 14, 2013 at 11:44 p.m.

Like everyone in Tuscaloosa, Mayor Walt Maddox and the members of our City Council were stunned at the damage wreaked by the tornado of April 27, 2011. They grieved for the loss of life, lamented the destruction of property and gave thanks for the offers of help that poured in from far and wide. And in the aftermath, they had a unique duty: deciding how and when our city would be rebuilt. It was a daunting and formidable challenge.

As the initial shock began to wane, the mayor set in motion the organizational structure necessary to rebuild Tuscaloosa. He established committees, task forces and websites for the purpose of gathering input from residents. He held community meetings and met with individuals and small groups throughout Tuscaloosa. He and the members of our City Council gathered together as many ideas and opinions as they could and then implemented the Tuscaloosa Forward plan.

Initially, many of us were skeptical. Were the meetings, task forces and questionnaires mere window dressing? Would opinions be solicited only to be discarded if they didn’t fit preconceived plans? Would the wishes of moneyed interests outweigh those of the general public?

Was Tuscaloosa Forward going to be one more unkept promise? One more now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t bit of magic from the politicians’ bag of tricks? One more instance when volunteers devoted thousands of hours to a project at the request of city officials only to have their work disregarded?

As time passed, we began to believe. We believed Tuscaloosa Forward was going to be carried out. Not totally. Not in every detail. For no plan can completely withstand its first encounter with reality.But we believed the specifics would be carried out to the extent possible and the spirit of Tuscaloosa Forward would be consistently honored.

We believed the mayor and city council were listening to us. And not just listening, but acting on what they heard. We began to believe that post-4/27 Tuscaloosa would truly be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. We began to believe in our elected officials and in Tuscaloosa Forward.

Was it a perfect plan? No. Would it create a Utopia? No. Was it put together through compromise, give-and-take and negotiation? Yes.

Not everyone likes Tuscaloosa Forward. And surely no one likes it in every particular. But whether you love it, hate it or are supremely indifferent to it, the plan was assembled from the ideas and hopes and wishes of ordinary citizens. No PACs contributed time or money to creating Tuscaloosa Forward. No special interest group exerted undue influence on the plan. Together, the community had created a vision for our town. Together, we were ready to move forward.

Mayor Walt Maddox was the undisputed local leader in the days, weeks and months after the EF4 tornado destroyed 12.5 percent of Tuscaloosa. His caring concern for his constituents was palpable. He and other city employees worked tirelessly coordinating efforts to clean up the city and begin the rebuilding process. The mayor and City Council used a tragic event as a catalyst for positive change.

Then something happened. I don’t know exactly what or exactly when, but I know that something changed. The Tuscaloosa Forward plan represents the cumulative effort of hundreds of volunteers who collectively spent thousands of hours reading, thinking, debating, negotiating, arguing, compiling and writing. Little by little, that plan is being dismantled by commissions, agencies and elected officials — a zoning variance here, a slackening of the rules there, a shrug of the shoulders at noncompliance. Our community vision is being whittled away, and that is cause for great sadness.

It is also cause for immediate action. Our elected officials need to hear from us, individually and collectively, by phone, by email, and at meetings. They need to know that we still support Tuscaloosa Forward. They need to understand that we will not give up on our community vision.

Anne Gibbons, a Tuscaloosa native, lives in the Hillcrest neighborhood. Her house was damaged in the April 27, 2011, tornado.

<p>Like everyone in Tuscaloosa, Mayor Walt Maddox and the members of our City Council were stunned at the damage wreaked by the tornado of April 27, 2011. They grieved for the loss of life, lamented the destruction of property and gave thanks for the offers of help that poured in from far and wide. And in the aftermath, they had a unique duty: deciding how and when our city would be rebuilt. It was a daunting and formidable challenge.</p><p>As the initial shock began to wane, the mayor set in motion the organizational structure necessary to rebuild Tuscaloosa. He established committees, task forces and websites for the purpose of gathering input from residents. He held community meetings and met with individuals and small groups throughout Tuscaloosa. He and the members of our City Council gathered together as many ideas and opinions as they could and then implemented the Tuscaloosa Forward plan. </p><p>Initially, many of us were skeptical. Were the meetings, task forces and questionnaires mere window dressing? Would opinions be solicited only to be discarded if they didn't fit preconceived plans? Would the wishes of moneyed interests outweigh those of the general public?</p><p>Was Tuscaloosa Forward going to be one more unkept promise? One more now-you-see-it-now-you-don't bit of magic from the politicians' bag of tricks? One more instance when volunteers devoted thousands of hours to a project at the request of city officials only to have their work disregarded? </p><p>As time passed, we began to believe. We believed Tuscaloosa Forward was going to be carried out. Not totally. Not in every detail. For no plan can completely withstand its first encounter with reality.But we believed the specifics would be carried out to the extent possible and the spirit of Tuscaloosa Forward would be consistently honored.</p><p>We believed the mayor and city council were listening to us. And not just listening, but acting on what they heard. We began to believe that post-4/27 Tuscaloosa would truly be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. We began to believe in our elected officials and in Tuscaloosa Forward.</p><p>Was it a perfect plan? No. Would it create a Utopia? No. Was it put together through compromise, give-and-take and negotiation? Yes. </p><p>Not everyone likes Tuscaloosa Forward. And surely no one likes it in every particular. But whether you love it, hate it or are supremely indifferent to it, the plan was assembled from the ideas and hopes and wishes of ordinary citizens. No PACs contributed time or money to creating Tuscaloosa Forward. No special interest group exerted undue influence on the plan. Together, the community had created a vision for our town. Together, we were ready to move forward.</p><p>Mayor Walt Maddox was the undisputed local leader in the days, weeks and months after the EF4 tornado destroyed 12.5 percent of Tuscaloosa. His caring concern for his constituents was palpable. He and other city employees worked tirelessly coordinating efforts to clean up the city and begin the rebuilding process. The mayor and City Council used a tragic event as a catalyst for positive change.</p><p>Then something happened. I don't know exactly what or exactly when, but I know that something changed. The Tuscaloosa Forward plan represents the cumulative effort of hundreds of volunteers who collectively spent thousands of hours reading, thinking, debating, negotiating, arguing, compiling and writing. Little by little, that plan is being dismantled by commissions, agencies and elected officials — a zoning variance here, a slackening of the rules there, a shrug of the shoulders at noncompliance. Our community vision is being whittled away, and that is cause for great sadness. </p><p>It is also cause for immediate action. Our elected officials need to hear from us, individually and collectively, by phone, by email, and at meetings. They need to know that we still support Tuscaloosa Forward. They need to understand that we will not give up on our community vision. </p><p>Anne Gibbons, a Tuscaloosa native, lives in the Hillcrest neighborhood. Her house was damaged in the April 27, 2011, tornado.</p>